Contents

History

Angmar

During the Angmar War, what was left of the ancient realm of Arnor was under attack. While not ignoring the North-Kingdom, King Eärnil II had trouble of his own, and could not spare any of his troops to send North. Upon learning that the Witch-king was preparing for the final blow in T.A. 1973, he sent his son Eärnur north. Though his fleet sailed rapidly, he was not in time to save Arthedain or Arvedui, its last king. His massive fleet - it filled Mithlond, Harlond and Forlond - was hailed by the Men that had survived the last deafeat, and the Elves also. To Gondor's standards, the expeditionary force was mediocre in size. It did, however, include cavalry from Rhovanion, which would prove useful on the wide lands of the North.

With Círdan, Eärnur travelled East, and cleansed the lands of Orcs and other servants of Angmar. All fled before the might of the Gondorian cavalry, with Eärnur at its head. At the same time, Glorfindel came west from Rivendell. When finally the Witch-king, clad in black, came forth near Fornost, many of the horses fled in terror. So did Eäarnur's steed, and it took some time before the Captain of Gondor could regain control. The Witch-king laughed at this seeming retreat, but his victory would not last long. The Elves of Rivendell entered the battlefield, and the Witch-king fled before the might of Glorfindel. Fleeing in despair, Eärnur wanted to pursue him, but Glorfindel spoke againt it:

"Do not pursue him! He will not return to this land. Far off yet is his doom, and not by the hand of man will he fall."

But nonetheless, Eärnur bore a grudge against the wraith that disgraced him.

Kingship

After being crowned King in 2043 he was challenged twice by the Witch-king, who now resided in Minas Morgul. The first challenge went unanswered but in 2050 the second came and he accepted. After entering the gates of Minas Morgul, he was never heard from again.

No new king was elected and the rule of Gondor passed to the Stewards, beginning with Mardil Voronwë, who had tried to restrain Eärnur from going to Minas Morgul. The Stewards were to rule "until the King returns", because it was uncertain at first whether Eärnur had been killed or not. In addition, Eärnur left without an heir, and while many others in Gondor could lay some sort of claim to the kingship, those claims generally had some sort of doubt, and no one wanted to risk another civil war like the Kin-strife, which had been devastating for Gondor.[1]

Etymology

Eärnur means "Servant of the Sea" in Quenya, from ëar "sea" and -ndur "servant".

Portrayal in Adaptations

While explaining the origin of the Dead Men to Gimli (and by extension, the audience), Legolas refers to Isildur as the "Last King".[2] Whether Eärnur was omitted on purpose (so not to introduce another name) or simply overlooked is unknown.